Synthesizing mouse events from input device events

• US 20060164396A1
• Filed: 01/27/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, David R.
• Application Number:
  US11/044,320
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164396A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/172
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45512 Command shells

Abstract

Mouse events are synthesized from input received from input devices other than a mouse. Input received is used to select focusable regions in an interface. The input can include navigation input triggering movement between focusable regions or region select input select a currently focused region. pointer events are generated in response to received navigation and region select input. In one embodiment, the interface may include a GUI, web page, or some other type of interface that includes components that can be selected by a mouse device.

Claims

1. A method for synthesizing pointer events in a user interface, comprising:

receiving input from a keyboard;

selecting a focusable region within a user interface from the input; and

generating one or more pointer events associated with the focusable region.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the input includes region select input, said selecting includes selecting a current focused region.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the region select input is associated with a virtual key code.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein input includes navigational input.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the pointer events include a move-mouse event.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

determining a cursor point within the focusable region.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the cursor point includes determining the focusable region from the navigational input.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the cursor point is the center of the focusable region.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the pointer event includes a mouse-move event to the focusable region.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing the pointer event to an application object

11. A method for processing input by a browser, comprising:

receiving navigation input;

selecting a focusable region within an interface from the navigation input, the interface provided by a browser;

determining a cursor point within the focusable region and

generating one or more pointer events associated with the cursor point.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein selecting a focusable region includes selecting a focusable region other than the currently the focused region.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the pointer events include a move-mouse event.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the cursor point is the center of the focusable region.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein determining the cursor point includes retrieving focusable region information.

16. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on one or more said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method, the method comprising:

receiving input from a keyboard;

determining a focusable region within an interface from the input; and

generating pointer events associated with the focusable region.

17. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 16, wherein the input includes region select input, said determining includes determining the current focusable region.

18. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 17, wherein the region select input is associated with a virtual key code.

19. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 16, wherein input includes navigational input, said determining includes selecting the current focusable region.

20. The one or more processor readable storage devices of claim 19, wherein the method includes:

selecting a cursor point within the focusable region.